The Wheel of Time
by LeChatRouge
Summary: DunBroch is at the brink of war, no one knows who to trust anymore and so, impossible alliances are made. Will the arrival of the Viking's Chief safe the day? Or will it just bring more trouble? And ultimately, will the epic story of the Scots' princess and the viking's chief become a legend? Rating may go up in the following chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**_Hello there! Well this is my very first attempt at crossover and mericcup so please bare with me. Also please do no hesitate to point out any mistake I'm sure you'll find._**

 ** _And well, that said I really hope you like the story as I plan to have many plot twists ;D_**

* * *

 _"The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend_ _s_ _. Legend_ _s_ _fades to myth_ _s_ _, and even myth_ _s_ _are_ _long forgotten when the Age that gave t_ _hem_ _birth comes again."_

 _Robert Jordan_

* * *

 _It had almost been two years now since the events that changed, not only Merida's fate but the kingdom's as well._

 _However, as days became colder so did the_ _unwritten_ _accord between the four lords. Everyone at the Dun_ _'B_ _roch castle knew it, and Merida was no exception._

 _She was well aware that each day she failed to make a choice, it resulted in the heads of the clans growing more and more impatient._

 _'_ _After all, it_ _'_ _s one thing to give a child a certain sense of freedom, and another to let a 'grown' woman roam around without a proper husband_ _'_ _Merida bitterly thought with her blue eyes fixed on the horizon outside her room._

 _Letting out a tired sigh, she shifted her eyes towards the piece of paper lying before her. For the past couple of hours, she had been racking her brains try_ _ing to_ _make what would probably be the worst decision of her life._

 _She had written a list, naming all the good and bad qualities of her suitors._ _Suitors that_ _she had come to know_ _slightly_ _better_ _t_ _hroughout the last two years._ _Unfortunately,_ _and in spite of_ _that,_ _s_ _he could not see herself chained to any of them._

 _The soft yet firm knocks on her door_ _brought her back from the depths of her mind._ _And_ _before she could say anything, the door opened revealing the regal figure of her mother._ _Looking at her,_ _Merida_ _felt a sudden twinge of jealousy as she knew she'd never_ _be_ _like her. The Queen had_ _the_ _kind of calm beauty_ _and restraint_ _that she could never dream to achieve._

 _Eleanor_ _had all the qualities a queen should have_ _whereas_ _her, on the other ha_ _n_ _d, didn't even resemble to a fine, young lady._ _There were times in which s_ _he even pitied the poor bastard who_ _had to_ _marr_ _y_ _her_ _._

 _"_ _Evening, Mother." she said with her eyes still locked on the paper "To what do I owe the honor of this visit?" the mockery in her tone made the other woman wrinkle her nose with disapproval._

 _"Merida..." she began with a warning voice._

 _"I know, I know, I'm sorry." Merida interrupted_ _in a slightly bitter_ _voice_ _"I forgot that a princess is never sarcastic."_ _s_ _he tried to push back the guilt she always_ _felt_ _whenever she spoke like that to her._

 _After her "_ _transformation_ _", the queen bec_ _a_ _me softer and less strict,_ _reminding her of_ _another time in which things were far_ _less complicated_ _._ _However, neither that_ _n_ _or the agreement to freely choose who to marry lasted more than a year or so._

 _Merida knew that the other lords were giving her father a hard time. Saying_ _that_ _he was no longer fit to rule over them as he couldn't even tame his own daughter. And perhaps a couple of years ago, she would've been furious about that, probably even yelled and destroyed_ _anything she could find_ _._

 _But she wasn't a child anymore._ _And she knew, that with the upcoming war against the southern invaders, the last thing her father needed was an uprising withing his lines._

 _Therefor,_ _s_ _he_ _now_ _knew what she_ _would_ _h_ _ave_ _to do, even if it meant giving up on everything she believed in and loved._

 _"What is_ _it_ _that yer writing?" asked her mother, suddenly uncomfortable with her daughter's silent attitude. If there was something the queen knew about her daughter, it was that nothing good came from her silence._

 _"Nothing really, just..." she began and handed_ _the piece of paper_ _to her. The queen began to scan over_ _it_ _, hardly suppressing a chuckle. She took in a deep breath and put on her stern face again._

 _"I_ _assume that you're still working on it as the column of good qualities is_ _yet to be filled._ _"_

 _"_ _Aye, although I hardly think that being able to flex your muscles at will could be considered a good quality." Merida replied, sarcasm drooling from her voice. Her mother tried her best not to show any kind of sympathy towards the com_ _m_ _ent._

 _"Well, I'm sure that many ladies would find it...charming." the last word sounded more like a question than an actual statement. "Of course there must be something you find attractive or the very least appealing."_

 _"_ _Truth is Mother, I can't see myself with any of them. I don't think I'd ever be able to love them because, whenever I look at them all I see are chains and a future without laughter or adventure." her_ _voice_ _had dropped an octave and her eyes were now fixed on her_ _clenched_ _hands._

 _The queen's heart ached for her daughter. She had always kn_ _own_ _how free spirited she was._ _There had been times in which she had seriously considered her to be_ _part wolf, or something like that. Everything about her screamed_ _of_ _freedom, wil_ _derness_ _and fierceness; which was exactly what this marriage would tear_ _away_ _from her._ _She'd become a shadow of what she once was._ _A hollow shell._

 _"Merida..." she began, unsure of what to say. She just knew that she wanted, no, needed to give her some sort of comfort._

 _At the queen's tone, Merida's eyes lightened up a little hoping to hear the words that would release her from her sentence. However, instead of that, her mother just closed her mouth and gently squeezed her shoulder before_ _leaving_ _her room._

 _She never saw the_ _lonely_ _tear that crossed the queen's cheek._

* * *

 _The next morning, Merida awoke to the piercing sound of bagpipes and drums._

 _Jumping out of her bed, she wrapped herself with a kilt and began to go down the stairs fuming and ready to maim and kill whoever had dared to awake her -_ _most likely the triplets-._

 _However,_ _never would she had expected the_ _vast crowd await_ _ing_ _on the main hall. There were probably a bit more than a hundred men, seating, talking and fighting with each other. The different colors of their kilts marked them as warriors from each clan, and they had all fallen in a stunned silence at her sudden entrance._

 _All the attention now placed on her and her barely appropriated attire. She felt her cheeks heating_ _up_ _with embarrassment_ _and fury_ _as she felt their eyes roaming over her. The thin fabric of_ _her_ _night gown barely hid the shapes of her_ _now_ _grown body, and the kilt around her shoulders didn't really do much to cover her._

 _Nevertheless, h_ _owever embarrassment she might_ _have_ _be_ _en_ _feeling, she forced herself to remain calm and avoid storming out of the room. O_ _r_ _killing each and every one of them for that matter. With her chin up, she squared her shoulders and said:_

 _"I'd appreciate if y_ _e_ _could,_ _ _gentlemen__ _, refrain y_ _e_ _rself from any more music until a more suitable hour."_ _ _Or I swear to the Gods I'll shoot an arrow through y__ _ _e__ _ _r worthless eyes. A__ _nd with that, she left the hall and practically raced to her room._

 _"Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!" she told herself while smacking her head against the door. '_ _ _I need to get out of here__ _ _'__ _and went over_ _to her drawer and pull_ _ed_ _out one of her dres_ _ses._

 _Once ready with her bow and quiver in place, s_ _he left her room and walked through the nearly empty corridors until she reached the kitchen. Grabbing two apples, one for her and_ _ano_ _ther for_ _A_ _n_ _gus, she headed to the stables with quick steps. The happy snort of her horse brought a genuine smile to her lips._

 _"Hey there lad. Did ye miss me?" she affectively whispered while stroking his head. The horse began to sniff her hair and arms, clearly looking for something "Well aren't ye a smart lad? Is this what ye were looking for?" she said chuckling as she gave him the apple._

 _She mounted with the confidence of_ _the_ _skilled warrior_ _s from the legends,_ _and_ _with a simple whistle the animal began to trot out of the castle's boundaries and into the woods._

 _For hours, she rode as wild and fast as Angus could, the cool breeze of the morning_ _freein_ _g her mind_ _of_ _any worries._

 _After a while,_ _Merida finally dismounted from a_ _n_ _exhausted_ _Angus. "_ _Stay put lad, I'll fetch ye some water"_

 _Pacing through the_ _forest, she allowed her mind to think about what had happened in the morning. Leaving aside her mortifying episode, she couldn't understand why so many men from the different clans were there. The last gathering had happened two years ago when..._

 _"Oh, bloody hell." she cursed when she realized what it all meant. The presence of all those men could only mean_ _two_ _thing_ _s_ _:_ _either_ _her suitors had come_ _or war_ _had begun_ _. And frankly, she_ _wasn't sure which_ _one_ _of those options she preferred_ _._

 _The mere thought sent a shiver down her spine. And not a pleasant one._

 _With her bow, she moved aside some branches until the sight of a small clearing appeared before her._ _It was so peaceful and quiet that she didn't dare to make a sound,_ _fearing it might vanish as part of a dream._ _She moved towards the small_ _stream_ _to gather some water lost in her thoughts._

 _However,_ _the sudden feeling that something wasn't right snapped her out of her thoughts._ _She looked up and before her but found nothing out of place._ _It_ _felt as though_ _something_ _wa_ _s missing_ _'_ _ _The birds!'__ _she thought, finally realizing_ _it_ _. The birds should've been chirping_ _in a place like this_ _but instead, only silence surrounded the clearing._

 _A deep and low snarl coming from behind startled her._ _With her heart in a fist, she q_ _uickly turn_ _ed_ _around,_ _only to find_ _herself facing something she had always thought to_ _be_ _a legend._

 _"Dragon." she_ _gasped_ _, her brain still trying to process the situation she was currently in "A bloody dragon."_

 _She felt paralyzed as her eyes took in the foreign creature. It was big, although not as much as she would've expected; her books used to described them as fire breathing giant_ _demon_ _s_ _, with sharp claws and wings so big that when they spread them, the sky would_ _go dark._

 _However, the creature before her seemed far too...harmless, to put it somehow_ _. It's dark scales seemed to reflect the rays of sunlight, it's eyes were wide and free of wickedness and it's tail moving like a dog's didn't make him look very demon-like._

 _Of course_ _, bears had always seemed_ _cute and huggable to_ _her, but she sure as hell did not wanted to be hugged by one._

 _For that reason, she slowly reached for an arrow and placed it on her bow and_ _took_ _aim. She wasn't going to shoot at it unless she deemed_ _it_ _necessary_ _of course,_ _it was just for precaution_ _. With careful and slow moves_ _followed by the creature's eyes_ _, she began to_ _make her way around it, never taking her eyes off of it._

 _Suddenly, she heard someone yell "Toothless!" and before she could turn her gaze to where it had came from, she was tackled to the ground._

 _"What the bloody hell?!" she said startled by the unexpected attack._ _Before her, or more precisely on top of her, was a man with his face hidden behind a mask._ _With_ _her body pinned down against the ground by his,_ _she_ _blush_ _ed_ _with embarrassment and outrage._

 _"Get off of me, you fool!" she yelled as she smacked him,_ _connecting her knee with his belly and_ _earning an_ _ _'Ouch!'__ _from him_ _._ _She wriggled free from his weight_ _and r_ _a_ _n to grab her bow_ _and quiver. She turned around with an arrow ready and aiming at him._

 _"Wait! Wait let me explain!" said the young man while he got back on his feet and approached her._

 _"I'll put an arrow between yer eyes in ye take one more step!" she warned agitated. Her chest quickly moving up and down with each breath she took._

 _The man halted his steps and raised his hands in silent surrender. "_ _Please,_ _I mean no harm I swear." he told her in a_ _pleading tone,_ _trying to calm her down_ _._ _However, the dragon beside him sending her low snarls_ _and the evil eye_ _wasn't very helpful._

 _She couldn't help but let out a skeptic and nervous snort "Yeah well, excuse_ _me_ _if I don't believe ye." and with that, she_ _shot her arrow making it fly just a couple of inches away from his face._

 _Using that as a distraction, she run into the woods without looking back_ _and hearing the young man calling for her_ _. She didn't know how long she ran until she spotted Angus grazing peacefully._

 _Sensing her distress, the horse began to_ _move_ _jittery. She whispered a couple of soothing words before mounting and urging him to ride back to the castle._

 _By the time she arrived, she had managed to calm herself down a little bit, or at least enough to keep her entire body from shaking._

 _She_ _took Angus back into the stables and absently stroked him as her mind went back to the depths of the woods. To the formidable creature and his mysterious companion._

 _She wasn't really sure whether or not she should tell her parents about it. She feared her mother would ban her from going into the woods ever again if she told her._ _Or that she'd deemed her crazy and ban her from going out of her room all together._

 _"Maybe I shouldn't bother her." she muttered to_ _Angus_ _"After all, she's got enough on her plate already."_ _the horse let out a snort that sounded strangely skeptical to her ears._

 _She left the stables and entered into the castle walking through the hectic amount of people that were going from one place to another._

 _Amongst the crowd, she identified more tha_ _n_ _one_ _member of the neighbor clans merrily talking between each other_ _and completely oblivious of her agitated state._

 _With quick steps, she went up the stairs to her chambers and locked herself in. Once her back touched the king' sized bed, all the adrenaline from her previous adventure left her_ _and exhaustion took its place._ _. Letting out a tired sigh, she covered her eyes with her arm and allowed herself to reminisce about the odd couple until she fell asleep._

* * *

 _The constant knocking on her door mercilessly brought her back from her world of dreams. The room was darker and colder due to the gray clouds outside, blocking the sun._

 _"Princess, the king and queen are waiting for y_ _e_ _at the dining hall." said one of the maids with a soft voice._

 _"I'm coming." Merida_ _lazily_ _replied bringing herself up. She sent her comfortable and warm bed a longing look before leaving her room._

 _She walked through the corridors, unable to suppress more than one yawn on the way to the dining hall._ _And o_ _nce she arrived she found both, her mother and father seated on their thrones facing a crowd of people._

 _She avoided making any kind of eye contact with her mother for fear she'd read her like she'd always had._ _So trying to be as stealthy as she could, she slide on her seat with her eyes fixed on the murmuring crowd._

 _The soft cough of her mother shushed everyone at once, which was both impressive and annoying if anyone asked her._

 _"My lords," El_ _i_ _nor addressed opening her arms "_ _w_ _e're happy to open our doors for y_ _e_ _and y_ _e_ _r men." at that there was a loud cheer that quickly faded to let her continue. "And we hope that,_ _in spite of_ _the difficult times we're facing y_ _e_ _'ll join us in the celebration of our daughter's_ _eighteenth_ _birthday."_

 _Merida eyed her mother with a suspicious look. Her birthday wasn't in almost_ _a month_ _and they usually celebrated it with just a few relatives. They had never made a circus like this out of it before, so why know?_

 _"Also," Elinor said making Merida_ _swallow hard "we'd like to use such happy moment to finally announce the name of the one to whom our daughter shall marry." the hall burst into cries of joy and cheers. Cups clashing with glee and excitement._

 _Everyone seemed_ _too busy celebrating to see the stunned face of the princess, who was know opening and closing her mouth still too shocked with the news_ _to say anything_ _. Next to her, her father leaned on his side to whisper a_ _n_ _"I'm sorry_ _lad_ _die_ _._ _"_ _filled with guilt_ _before raising his cup as well._

 _Merida took in deep breaths, trying to tame the wave of anger and betrayal_ _a_ _t her mother's words. She hadn't even bothered to ask her or the very least warn her about it. No, she had just decided to do whatever the_ _ _bloody hell__ _she wanted as though it was her life to decide._

 _However, before she could dwell on the matter any further the main doors of the hall burst open letting a cold and sudden_ _current of air_ _sweep the entire room._

 _Everyone fell into a confused and stunned silence that immediately changed into loud whispers as they gathered around the newcomer._

 _Merida stretched her neck as much as she could to try and see who it might be without any luck. The men in the room slowly moved aside letting the newcomer make his way up to the front with confident steps. Within seconds, she found herself facing the person she never thought_ _s_ _he'd ever see again._

 _"YOU!" she said, loud enough for it to echo throughout the silent room. The mysterious man, still wearing his mask_ _looked at_ _her before taking_ _it_ _off._

 _"H_ _ello_ _...again." he said with a confused and_ _nervous_ _smile._

* * *

 ** _And that was it. I do hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writting it. And reviews are always welcomed (wink, wink)_**

 ** _See you soon_**

 ** _C.A.C_**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello again! I'm back with the second chapter.**

 **Thank you very much for the reviews. They really made my day, and I'll try to improve in everything I can.**

 **Hope you like the chapter!**

* * *

"Merida, you know this man?" Fergus asked utterly confused and changing his gaze between her daughter and the stranger.

"No!" Merida quickly replied "I mean yes." she let out a frustrated sigh at the even more confused look on her father's face "He sort of... Attacked me."

"What?!" cried both, the newcomer and her father. The men inside the room began to grab their swords, ready to defend her honor if it came down to it.

"I did no such thing!" shot back the man sounding outraged "It was you who attacked me! You shot a bloody arrow at me!" he added pointing at the scratched wood of his mask to prove it.

"Oh please, I barely touched ye!" she snorted while crossing her arms over her chest "And I only did it because ye tackled me first!"

The man seemed to become more and more flustered by the minute, partly because of the embarrassment and outrage he was currently feeling. But also, because he was well aware of the increasing amount of armed men that had started to surround him. He had to say something before they chopped him in pieces.

"It was your fault!" he blurted out, only to mentally face-palm himself for sounding so childish. _Really smooth Hiccup._

"How could it have been my fault?!" Merida retorted feeling her face blushing with annoyance.

"You were threatening Toothless!" he pressed on, also becoming slightly red on the ears.

"Toothless? Who the bloody hell is Toothless?" she said utterly confused.

"My dragon!" he cried in the heat of the moment.

The entire room fell in a stunned silence at his words before bursting again into whispers and suffocated gasps. Fergus stood up from his seat with his eyes fixed on the young lad before him. There was something about him that looked awfully familiar, and it bugged him to no end not being able to point it out.

"And who are ye supposed to be?" asked Elinor from her seat, her voice ever so calm and controlled. Everyone in the room stopped gossiping, way too interested in the man's answer.

"My name is Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III." he replied, turning his gaze towards the woman and bowing "Your Highness." he quickly added.

"Blimey boy! Hiccup? Stoic's son?" blurted out the king, his mood changing so rapidly it took everyone by surprise "It's been years since I talked to yer father. How's the old crank doing?"

At his words, the newcomer's eyes seemed to darken with sorrow as he replied with a sad smile "I'm afraid he passed away about three months ago."

The king's smile faded "I'm so sorry to hear that lad." Uncomfortable with the heavy silence, he added "Why don't we take this conversation somewhere else?"

"I'd appreciate it very much your Highness." the young man replied.

The king excused himself and urged the crowd to continue with the feast and celebration. Not without more than one whisper of protest.

"And just where do ye think ye're going young lady?" asked Elinor without even taking her eyes off of the crowd. Merida had stood up from her seat with the firm resolution of following her father and the newcomer. She needed to know more about him.

"I'm going to my room. I'm not feeling very well" she stated trying to sound as tired and innocent as she could.

"No you're not. You're gonna stay put like a good lad and eat your dinner." Elinor replied in a tone that left no room for any other possibilities.

"But mom!" she pleaded fed up with everything and everyone "Ye can't make me stay! I'm not a kid anymore for ye to boss around!"

"Sweetie, I get that you don't like to follow orders, believe me I do. But if I say you stay here; you'll stay here and do as I say." and with those final words, both mother and daughter resumed their meal without saying anything else.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the other part of the castle, Fergus and Hiccup sat before the lit fireplace. The flames moving before them in a mesmerizing dance.

"What happened lad?" the king asked, deeming better to just get straight to the point.

"He– He died trying to protect me." Hiccup said, feeling a growing knot on his throat as the subject was still way too painful. He proceed then to retell to the king the whole story of how he had changed everything thanks to his friendship with Toothless. And how they had fought to free the dragons and ultimately, to protect everyone on the island.

"I came here to ask for your help, your Highness." he finished, staring into the older man's eyes with a determination that took both men by surprise.

"You can stop with the formalities, son. After all, we're equals now and I'd like to consider ye a friend." the king replied with a gentle smile.

"Thank you, sir. I'd be honored to accept your friendship."

"Well, now that that's settled, why don't ye tell me exactly what would ye need from us?" and so, Hiccup began to explain to him how after the battle, Berk was left far too damaged to produce anything at all. Nothing grew on the island, the fishes were still too scared to come back, and the number of food supplies was dropping fast.

"If Berk is so unrepairable as ye describe, why wouldn't ye leave?" Fergus asked, genuinely confused.

"Have you met my people?" Hiccup replied good-heartedly "They're strong-willed, and stubborn as a mule. But furthermore, they're loyal to their own. And Berk is ours, no matter how messed up it might be." Fergus couldn't help the approving smile that spread across his bearded face. Wherever Stoic was, he could be more than proud of his son.

"Alright, so I guess that what you're asking me, is for food and supplies." Hiccup nodded "And I'd be more than happy to give them to you, believe me." Fergus turned his gaze towards the fire before adding "But I'm afraid that with the southern invaders lining up at our borders and ready to fight, I can't give our army's supplies to ye."

After his words, both fell silent. Fergus felt for the lad and his people, specially after everything they had been through. But he was the Scots' king, and therefor his duty was first to his own.

"And what if we helped you fight these southerners?" Hiccup asked after a while. Fergus blinked several times taken aback by his offer.

"And how are ye planning on doing that exactly?"

"Well, we've got fire-spitting dragons that I'm sure would come in handy to dissuade them from bothering you and your people." Hiccup replied with a playful grin that oozed confidence. When it came to his people, he'd go from snarky and socially awkward to confident; turning into someone fit for leadership.

Fergus leaned back on his seat with his arms crossed and thoughtful eyes. He'd be lying if he said he hadn't thought about that same possibility himself.

"We could win your war before it even starts." Hiccup pressed on, encouraged by his pose "Think about it, sir. No blood shed, no orphaned kids and broken families."

Fergus closed his eyes, weighting up the advantages and disadvantages of what he was offering. It all sounded so good, in fact, it sounded too good to be true.

"I'll need to speak with my wife and the rest of the head clans before I can agree to anything. I hope that ye can understand that." he finally stated, to which Hiccup nodded hardly suppressing an excited smile. He hadn't said no, which was more than he had expected. "In the meantime, ye're more than welcome to stay here at the castle with us." the king added as he patted Hiccup cheerfully on his shoulder, almost knocking him down of his seat.

And so, both men exited the room and headed back to the dinning hall. However, before entering, Fergus turned around with a subtle frown "By the way, I need to ask: did ye really attacked my daughter?" the frown on his face deepening ever so slightly as the man waited for his answer.

"No, no of course not. I just pushed her aside to stop her from shooting at my friend. And of course, she shot me instead." Hiccup let out a relieved sigh when the king's expression changed again into a softer one before letting out a loud laugh as he entered the hall.

He could have sworn he heard him say "That's my girl."

* * *

 **And well, this is it. I know it's shorter than the previous one but, sometimes it's difficult to write and honestly, I'd rather not push it. Otherwise I'd end up writting some shit and not even enjoying it.**

 **Again, hope you liked it and please let me know if I had too many mistakes (English is not my first language, I Know it's no excuse but still, I feel like I should say it)**


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